Albina Shagimuratova was born 17 October 1979 in Tashkent in a family of
lawyers. Her parents encouraged her interest in music, and at age five she began
performing in front of the audience to the accompaniment of her father playing
the accordion. Later, when the family moved to Kazan, Albina became a student of
the Kazan Music College on the specialty “choral conducting” and then in Kazan
state Conservatoire named after N. Zhiganov.

Being a 3rd year student Albina leaved to Moscow State Conservatory named
after P. Tchaikovsky in the class of Professor G. Pisarenko. In 2004, graduated
with honors from the Moscow Conservatory, she enrolled in graduate school, which
also graduated with honors.Even in the years of study in Moscow Albina
Shagimuratova became a soloist of the Moscow academic music theatre named after
K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko, where she performed the roles of
Princess Swan from “The tale of Tsar Saltan” and the Queen of Shemakha from «The
Golden Cockerel» by Rimsky-Korsakov. In the same period, she was the soloist in
Mozart’s Requiem at the premiere concert of the famous “December evenings of
Sviatoslav Richter” in Moscow. Besides, her performances of parties –
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in a Symphony orchestra
named after P. Tchaikovsky under control of Vladimir Fedoseyev.

Albina Shagimuratova is an honorary graduate of the Youth Opera program at
the theater of the Houston Grand Opera (USA) where she studied with 2006 till
2008. At various times, Albina took master classes with Dmitry Vdovin in Moscow
and Renata Scotto in New York.

Her enchanting coloratura soprano first found international acclaim in 2007
when she won the gold medal and prize of the International competition named
after P. Tchaikovsky. Soon after, she made her European Opera debut as the Queen
of the night at the famous Salzburg festival accompanied by the Vienna
Philharmonic orchestra under Maestro Riccardo Muti. Established one of the
world’s leading interpreters of legendary complex the part, she sang the Queen
of the Night on such stages as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala (released on
DVD), Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera, Bavarian
State Opera, Bolshoi theatre, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Hamburg
State Opera, the Lucerne festival and other venues. This part was the debut at
the Royal Opera House (directed by Scottish Director David McVicar).The Guardian
notice her performance as “exceptionally accurate, with a powerful dramatic
coloratura”.

Albina Shagimuratova has added to her repertoire last seasons of the party’s
most famous operatic heroines of the nineteenth century – each of them had a
great success. She sang the role of Violetta (La Traviata) at the Bolshoi
theatre after reconstruction and in the Houston Grand Opera. Gilda (“Rigoletto”)
in her performance was a triumph at San Francisco Opera (conducted by Nicola
Luisotti). This part in the same season was her debut at the Lyric Opera of
Chicago (USA). In a new production by English Director John Doyle at the Houston
Grand Opera Albina first debuted in the title role in the opera “Lucia di
Lammermoor”, and then reprised her triumph at the theatres like La Scala, the
Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Deutsch Oper Berlin and the Mariinsky
theatre under Valery Gergiev. Opera Newsmagazine enthusiastically praised it as
“the phenomenon which you must hear to believe in him”, and in the New York
Times, as Lucia was called “sensational and stunning”. In addition, Albina had
the honour to open the historical stage of the Bolshoi theatre after
reconstruction in a new production of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” directed
by Dmitry Chernyakov, accompanied by the orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski. Her
debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” took place on stage at the
Glyndebourne festival in England in 2011. The London Times called her Donna Anna
“leading”. This same role Albina sang on the stage of the theatre Royal Opera
House and together with the orchestra under the baton of Maestro Antonio Pappano
and the theatre company in September 2015, made in a tour through the largest
cities of Japan.

On 6 July 2013, Albina had the honour of performing at the opening of the
XXVII World Summer Universiade which held in Kazan (Russian Federation).

Albina Shagimuratova performed works from her extensive repertoire in the
world’s greatest orchestras. In debut with the Boston Symphony orchestra
conducted by Rafael de Burgos she sang “Stabat Mater” by Rossini and the party
of Flaminia from the concert overture “A midsummer night’s dream” by
Mendelssohn, and with the Houston Symphony orchestra under Hans Graf– performed
concert arias and Mozart’s Mass “Gloria” by Poulenc. Within the debut at the
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Albina Shagimuratova sang the soprano role in
Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Zubin Mehta, and in the 2012-2013 season –
in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the National Symphony orchestra of Denmark
under the baton of of Fubeca de Burgos. Subsequently, the disc was released. In
the same season she added to her repertoire of “War Requiem” by Britten, played
at the festival in Edinburgh. In August 2014 during the festival, the BBC Proms
on the stage of the Albert Hall. It was debut for Albina in the soprano parts in
“Bells” by S. Rachmaninof with the London Symphony orchestra under the baton of
Edward Gardner.

She was a guest of the festivals of Valery Gergiev, such
as the Moscow Easter festival, “Stars of the white nights” in St. Petersburg, as
well as a guest of the festival “Vladimir Spivakov invites…” in Moscow. Albina
also supports creative relationships with such conductors as James Conlon,
Patrick Summers, Peter Schneider, Robin Ticciati, Andrew Davies, Adam Fischer,
Alain Altinoglu, Laurent Campellone, Maurizio Benini, Giorgio Morandi, Asher
Fish, etc.

A landmark event in the musical life of Moscow became a recital of Albina
Shagimuratova at the historic stage of the Bolshoi theatre. Together with V.
Spivakov she has performed the madness scenes from the Italian Opera repertoire,
such as “I Puritani”, “La Sonnambula” and “Lucia di Lammermoor”.Among her
numerous future engagements should note the return to the stage at the
Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera,
Royal Albert Hall, Bavarian State Opera, debut at Paris Opera Bastille.

AWARDS & PRIZES

People’s artist of the Republic
of Tatarstan (2009).

Laureate of the State prize of the Republic of
Tatarstan named after Gabdulla Tukai (2011).

Winner of the Russian
national theatre award “Golden mask” in the nomination “Female role in Opera”
for performing the part of Lucia di Lammermoor in a performance of Tatar State
academic theatre of Opera and ballet named after M. Jalil.

Laureate of
the prize of the musical critics of the “Casta Diva” for her performance as
Lyudmila at the Bolshoi state academic theatre of Russia “Ruslan and Lyudmila”
and Lucia in performance “Lucia di Lammermoor” of Tatar State academic theatre
of Opera and ballet named after M. Jalil.

First prize winner and golden
medal of the International competition named after P. Tchaikovsky
(2007).

First prize winner of the International competition of young
Opera singers named after M. Glinka (Chelyabinsk, 2005).

Winner of the
International contest of vocalists named after Francisco Viñas (Barcelona,
2005).